Dental Caries Among Kosovar Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the oral health status in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Material and Methods: Dental examinations, based on World Health Organization caries diagnostic criteria for DMFT index for permanent dentition and survey were performed among 160 children, aged 10-15-year-old, divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 80 children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (41 females, 39 males), and in the second group, consisted 80 healthy children (49 females, 31 males). Frequency, odds ratio and Mann-Whitney U test were used in the statistical analyses. The level of significance was set at 5%. Results: The higher mean of the DMFT index was found among children with type 1 diabetes compared to the healthy group. The mean DMFT index for diabetic children was 6.56 ± 3.56 and for the healthy group was 4.21 ± 2.63. Moreover, the frequency of decayed teeth was higher in children with type 1 diabetes than in the healthy group. The higher risk of caries was found in diabetic children compared with healthy for 1.35 times. A higher proportion of children, 61.25% with type 1 diabetes mellitus, reported that they brush their teeth once per day, 22.50% twice per day, and 16.25% rarely. From the healthy group, 46.25% of children brush their teeth once per day, and 42.50% twice per day and 11.25% rarely brush their teeth per day. Conclusion: Diabetic children are at higher risk for caries than are healthy children.

Dental caries,diabetes mellitus, metabolic control and diabetes duration: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Eleven studies reported a DMFT/DMFS index significantly higher among type 1 diabetics, four found a significantly lower index and 20 did not find statistically significant differences between groups.…”

“…Forty‐five articles regarding caries experience among type 1 diabetics were analyzed (Table ). Regarding type 2 diabetes 17 studies were included (Table ).…”

“…Twelve of the studies were conducted in India, eight in the United States, six in Brazil, five in Finland, four each in Portugal, Sweden, and Turkey, two in Lithuania, one each in Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Iraq, Jordan, Republic of Kosovo, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, and Uruguay…”

“…The majority of the studies regarding type 1 diabetes only included children . In most studies, the control group was recruited from schools or dental clinics.…”

Association between metabolic control and oral health in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

“…[ 12 , 33 – 35 ]. Previously conducted studies in Kosovo compared the oral health of children with diabetes and control groups [ 12 , 36 , 37 ], whereas our study goes deeper and reveals the impact of metabolic control on oral health among children with diabetes. Many studies have shown that one of the most evident oral symptoms of diabetes is a reduction in the salivary flow rate.…”